Nineteen or so bishops of the Church of England have written a letter, published recently in The Independent (a British broadsheet) in which they condemn nuclear weapons, calling them "evil" and saying that their "possession and use are profoundly anti-God." According to the churchmen, "such weapons challenge the very core of Judeo-Christian Faith" and "Just War arguments rule out the use of nuclear weapons."
Instead of developing a new system to replace Trident, the bishops have a suggestion of their own: give the money to the poor.
The letter to The Independent can be seen here.
An article about the letter from the BBC is here. It should be read with some caution, as the reporter isn't very well-informed about British military affairs. While Trident has been in service for about two decades now, it was designed for a very long in-service life; it is currently slated for replacement in 2024, and the platforms that carry Trident, the Ohio and Vanguard class submarines, will continue to serve ably until then (or even after, if really necessary). But because of the long lead time necessary for such weapons, R & D for a replacement must begin now, and British politicians are beginning to be aware of this. Given their terrible record on other essential British defense (pardon me, defence) hardware projects, such as JSF (F-35) and the new carriers, however, the statement in the BBC's article ("a decision is set to be taken in the next year") should be read with a grain or so of salt.
In any case, further evidence of the hard-hitting, cutting-edge thought among our ever-so-liturgical Anglican brethren.
Instead of developing a new system to replace Trident, the bishops have a suggestion of their own: give the money to the poor.
The letter to The Independent can be seen here.
An article about the letter from the BBC is here. It should be read with some caution, as the reporter isn't very well-informed about British military affairs. While Trident has been in service for about two decades now, it was designed for a very long in-service life; it is currently slated for replacement in 2024, and the platforms that carry Trident, the Ohio and Vanguard class submarines, will continue to serve ably until then (or even after, if really necessary). But because of the long lead time necessary for such weapons, R & D for a replacement must begin now, and British politicians are beginning to be aware of this. Given their terrible record on other essential British defense (pardon me, defence) hardware projects, such as JSF (F-35) and the new carriers, however, the statement in the BBC's article ("a decision is set to be taken in the next year") should be read with a grain or so of salt.
In any case, further evidence of the hard-hitting, cutting-edge thought among our ever-so-liturgical Anglican brethren.
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